Surely A Travel Addict: Iceland (East)

East of Iceland is often overlooked by travellers is a region of many charms. The secluded beauty of East Iceland with its breathtaking deep and narrow fjords and charming villages is only just beginning to be discovered by travellers. As we head towards the east of Iceland, our first destination is the Jökulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. It is a beautiful glacial lagoon with lots of floating icebergs, right by the Ring Road in the southeast of Iceland.

Driving across a bridge as we approach Jökulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

The beauty of mother nature.. Floating ice sheets, seals and migratory birds at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Can you spot the seals?

Floating ice anyone?

Beached icebergs from Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Gazing upon the endless Jökulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

Driving on, you will never be disappointed by the Skaftafell National Park and Vatnajökull National Park which gives you the sense of solitude in the vicinity of the vast wilderness of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest glacier to the sea; with dramatic landscape of glaciers, glacial rivers and plains, jagged mountains.

The surrounding scenic view around our cottage at Skaftafell

The dramatic landscape around Skaftafell National Park and Vatnajökull National Park

Magnificent jagged mountains along Skaftafell National Park and Vatnajökull National Park

Non-stop screaming majestic scenic views

On our way to Seyðisfjörður, we took the dramatic coastal roads which will bring you to forsaken fjords to flourishing towns. You will never be bored by the stunning views along the coastal road. Note: During the winter, the mountain pass from main Ring Road 1 is closed, hence take the east coastal Road 96 followed by Road 92 to get to Egilsstaðir/Seyðisfjörður.

Forsaken fjords around the east of Iceland

Wished that you could live here, don't you?

Ever-changing scenic east Iceland fjords

More of east Iceland fjords

I simply love the picturesque Seyðisfjörður. It is a self-contained town including the port of Seyðisfjörður, Iceland's only international ferry port, with its weekly Smyril Line ferry from the Faroes and Denmark, which operates mid-April to the end of September. Seyðisfjörður fjord offers peace and tranquillity with blue waters, and some relatively easy hiking trails to explore. Wished we could stayed here longer to explore them.

Picturesque Seyðisfjörður port

Awesome fjord view from our cottage - Langahlid Seydisfirdi

Engrossed in the eye-catching fjord

Just can't get enough of the stunning fjord

Wefie at the sunny Seyðisfjörður fjord

One of the top items in my bucket list is to see the Aurora Borealis in person... and by just looking at the beautiful spectacular Northern Lights photos taken by people is enough to make us book a ticket to fly there, seriously! Fortunately, we managed to plan and head north during the peak time to see the Northern Lights before it dims. However, fret not, the aurora borealis is not disappearing, but it is just expected to appear less frequently over the next decade.

Not forgetting that one of the main reason for this trip is aurora chasing. The aurora are best seen in dark clear nights when there isn't a full moon and minimal light pollution i.e. away from city lights. But just standing outside on a cold, dark clear night in the middle of winter in the middle of nowhere will not guarantee a sighting of aurora. In other words, you need to have some luck, to be in the right place and right time. Hence, before heading out, check the aurora forecast (http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/).
We prayed hard in hope that we can catch a glimpse of the mysterious aurora during our quest in Iceland. Finally, lady luck is with us this time round, Seyðisfjörður is where we caught our first sight of the aurora. Thanks to the shy lady aurora for displaying the spectacular light show!

I rarely bring DSLR camera for travelling, as I prefer travelling light. However, for this aurora chasing mission trip, I had brought my DSLR camera and tripod along; prerequisites for aurora photography. Taking pictures of aurora is a whole new experience for me, this is my first time attempting to take photos of aurora; doing last minute online crunching aurora photography info and fiddling around with my DSLR's settings and trial and error shots in the cold winter when we saw the magical beams dancing above us. Kudos to those professional aurora photographers who chased them patiently in the harsh weather in order to get great aurora shots.